The focus of my project was to mainly teach the students the importance of Internet Safety and make them aware of the issues surrounding Cyberbullying. I am also a 7th grade computer teacher in which my curriculum focuses mainly using word processing, spreadsheets, and presentation software but I also try to focus on using Web 2.0 tools so they can use those tools in their other classes on projects and assignments.

These assignments were given off and on throughout the last 9 weeks of this semster long class as we focused on Internet Safety and the use of various Web 2.0 tools and presentation programs (Power Point, Photo Story, and Movie Maker).

Some of the Content Standards that these lessons focused on were:
7.SI.1.1 Correlate the illegal/unethical use of technology to the consequences as it relates to changes in society.
7.CT.2.3 Create projects using technology applications and tools.

Activity One:
Take the Internet Safety Pretest.
Create a Shutterfly account and practice logging into their classes' blog page in Shutterfly. I also explained the Blogging process that day (replying to my blog entry and replying to at least one other person's response.) For the practice day, we just Blogged about weekend plans.

Activity Two:
Blogging Entry - Basically for more practice, I had them answer the blog question "What is your favorite website or things to do on the Internet and why do you enjoy it? How much time do you spend online each day?"
We then watched the video, Profile Penalty, at www.nsteens.org . Then the kids went back to the blog and replied to the question, "What images and information is okay to post online? How might posting information online affect your future?"

Activity Three:
Internet Safety Vocabulary Assignment (see attachment called Internet Safety Motivator Poster)



Here is an example of the Internet Safety Motivator Poster that I showed the kids before they got started on their own vocabulary word. (see attachment called Facebook.)

Facebook.jpg

Activity Four:
Watched the video clip from netsmartz.org, Julie's Journey, about a young girl who runs away from home for 3 weeks with somone she meets in a chatroom. Played the activity, Post to Be Private. Each group was given a card with someone's online profile and they needed to discuss in the group whether or not that profile was a real person or a fake identity.
For example one card reads: And the person's real identity is this:
Name: Sander Name: Tom
Age: 14 Age: 27
Location: Washington, DC Location: Virginia
Hobbies: I love the Redskins!! The Facts: Is a registered sex offender.
Once the group told me whether or not they felt the person represented on the card was real or fake, I read them the person's True Identity.

Activity Five:
Introduced Glogster and we had a "play" day in which the kids practiced logging into glogster, set up their profile, and practiced with the different applications that are available in glogster. Then the kids had this glogster assignment (not related to Internet Safety but wanted them to have some experience with Glogster in case they used this for part of their final project.)

Activity Six:
In preparation for their final projects, we spent part of a period watching the Netsmartz Internet Safety Presentations and Power Point for tweens/teens put together by Safe Surfin USA Foundation.
The students were then given the project options (individual project or partner project) and time to make a decision about which project to work on. They were given 3 full class periods to work on their projects and 2 other partial class
periods.



Project Reflection
I will probably keep all of thes assignments and projects and do them again next year but maybe just use somewhat of a different format and so it will be more of a semester long project. For example, as we work on word processing earlier on in the semester, I hope to integrate some sort of Word project and also do something related to Internet Safety with spreadsheets. I think that I will have all kids do an Internet Safety poster in glogster and possibly even make the intereactive Power Point part of our Power Point unit. Then maybe have all kids do some sort of multimedia project like the Movie Maker project at the end of the year.